Speakeasy Big Daddy IPA

Hoppy. Hoppy Hoppy Hoppy. Hoppy nose. Big, round hoppy start. Builds to a big, climactically hoppy middle, then mellows to a pleasantly hoppy finish. The hops linger in a very pleasant manner. Visually it is rather pale in color. It is slightly sweet, as it is 6.5% alcohol by volume. You wouldn't guess it, though.

If it were an animal it would be a hyperactive rabbit hopped up on goofballs. If it were in the Special Olympics it would be a one legged marathoner. If it were a person it would be a Jamaican who was "Very hoppy to see you, mon."

Ok, sorry, I'm done.

WDTB? Me. People I make drink it. CBCs. People sucked in by the super sexy marketing (their website isn't nearly as cool as I would have expected from the bottle art. Did I mention this was from a bottle? I did now.)

WSDTB? People who like hops. People who like prohibition. People who live in San Francisco (My understanding is that many Bay Area types don't even know they have this gem right under their noses). Me (more often)

Rating: 9.2/10

Top Ten Beer Foods

1 Edamame (boiled salted soy beans)
2 Fried Plantains (fresh)
3 Bolivian Peanuts
4 Sembei (Japanese rice crackers)
5 Plain Doritos Corn Chips
6 Spanish Peanuts
7 Fried Plantains (packaged)
8 Anchovies
9 Deep Fried Okra
10 Fresh Tomatoes and Basil on Pearl Bakery Bread. (Actually this goes well with just about everything).

Alaskan Stout

I am reviewing this one live. I'm drinking it out of the bottle (poured into a glass, or course). The beer is an oatmeal stout, very dark in appearance, and is very smooth, as oatmeal stouts tend to be. This is a big bodied beer, with a nice round mouthfeel, and after a mellow start it fades to a rich, chocolaty finish. There is also a hint of caramel in there toward the end. There is nothing particularly exceptional about this stout, but as a sedate, workman like stout it is very good. It fulfills everything a stout should: dark, full bodied, rich. However, there is something just a little off in the finish, something I can't quite put my finger on. Perhaps the bitterness lingers overlong. Anyhow, it's no Samuel Smith, but it is quite good.

WDTB? Alaskans

WSDTB? Lactating mothers. At least that is what Samuel Smith brewing says oatmeal stouts were developed for. Perhaps instead people who are in the mood to be lactating mothers should drink it. You know, nothing gets you in the mood like beer with a chocolate note in the finish, maybe a little Al Green in the background, get some scented candle action... But I digress.

Rating: 7.8/10

Shaftebury Cream Ale

A while back I got into a beer discussion with a woman online, and while I was extolling the virtues of Oregon beers she was adamant that B.C. beers were better. As I freely admitted I didn't know that much about Canadian beers, so I asked her for some recommendations. As luck would have it my aunt was traveling to B.C. the next week, and I traded her some coffee for some beer. This was one of the ones she brought back.

This Cream Ale is reddish/amber in hue, with a coppery note in the nose, although it is not pronounced. There is a slight bite in the finish, although overall it is quite smooth, as all cream ales should be. I found it over carbonated, which perhaps explains that bite in the finish.

It is not as complex as I'd like, so it is not very compelling, and there is not a lot of impetus for a repeat drinking. I'd definitely try it on tap, though.

WDTB? Canadians, eh, especially those who live in Vancouver. My understanding, limited as it is, is that this is a workmanlike cream ale. I'd imagine that this would be a wonderfully refreshing beer to split a pitcher or three with some good friends after a hard day of tromping through the forest on fire crew, or manning a charter fishing boat. Isn't that what everyone in B.C. does all the time?

Why Should You Drink This Beer? If you are ever on Vancouver Island... (I imagine eating fish and chips on the deck of a restaurant with the mountains rising up behind us, the smell of the Strait of Georgia in the air, sharing a pitcher with a few friends. Perhaps a few Bald Eagles circling overhead, a pod of orcas in the strait, the clouds lit up by the setting sun.)

Rating: 7.6/10

Pike IPA

This beer is made by the Pike Pub & Brewery in Seattle. I had it from a bottle.

This guy is floral, with a hoppy bouquet, and amber in color. The mouth feel is rather thin. It is well hopped throughout, though. It is sweeter and maltier than most IPAs. The nose is sweet. However, something is missing at the finish. I am hard pressed to put my finger on exactly what.

WDTB? Gee, I have no idea. I'll get back to you. Until then, who do I imagine drinks it? Left leaning yuppies who frequent Pike's Place Market. Tourists who do the same.

WSDTB? I would basically describe this beer as a malty IPA. It that sounds good to you, you should get some of this beer and drink it.

Rating: 8/10

Hair of the Dog Adam

"I'm so excited! I just can't hide it!" I've got a bottle of Hair of the Dog Adam, batch number #59, in a bottle. It is deep, rich, sweet, and chocolatey. The start is sweet and candy-like. It has a sweet, floral nose, perfectly balanced by chocolate and smoke notes that fade to a mellow finish. It is very rich and very full bodied. This is an intense beer, with a ton of flavor, but not overpowering. This beer demands your undivided attention.

This beer is strong, 10% by volume, so a pint is pretty much it for the evening. Drink accordingly. It is also expensive.

WDTB? CBCs. That is all.

WSDTB? CBCs who have never had it before.

Rating: 9.4/10

Bridgeport Blue Heron

Got me some Bridgeport Blue Heron in a bottle. It's a pale ale, but is more amber colored than most. It has a clean favor, and something of a copper note. The finish is mild, with a fairly thin body. It has some warmth and depth to the flavor, which grows on you. It has good repeat drinkability. This is a good, workmanlike pale ale. It is nothing too special, nothing too ambitious, but nothing jarring or unpleasant either, and with just enough complexity and character to keep you interested. It is not a very challenging beer. It is also a beer you could get into rut with.

WDTB? Beer coniseurs who wish to relax, palate wise. People who like good beer, but shop at Costco (food mega mart). People who live in Portland.

If you have friends who come over who aren't major beer heads and you feel bad serving them macros, keep this beer on hand. An introductory level microbrew.

WSDTB? People who are just getting into beer.

Rating: 7.5/10

Fat Tire Amber Ale

6/12/04 I am beset by doubt, fading to anger. Are they watering down the beer? Nobody would be that evil. Plus the technical expertise to do so is rather high... Wait, wait, back up. I am at Muu - Muu's, a very good place for people watching. My friend Chris was buying, so I told him to surprise me. The beer he brought back was amber like, but rather thin, and not so sweet. More ale like. So the doubt is self directed, as everyone loves this beer. Oh, yeah, the beer.

"Ubiquitous and inoffensive" the Blue Nun of beers. A beer liker's beer, and a beer lover's fall back. Fat Tire Amber Ale is a fairly light amber, very inoffensive, not very hoppy, with a smooth finish and a mild mouth feel.

WDTB? Beer likers. People in the mood to get drunk, but who's palettes have been "ruined" by good beer, so they can't stomach Coors. People who do not want to be challenged by their beer.

WSDTB? This beer requires no effort. If you do not wish to exert any thought on the beer that you put in your mouth, buy this. That being said it is well designed to be extremely drinkable. Repeat drinkability is very high. Is that good or bad? You decide.

Rating: 7.7/10

Stella Artoi

6/12/04, still at Muu - Muu's. Got me some Stella Artoi on tap. Never had it before. And the verdict is:

So... European.

Sweet start, crisp middle. Slightly sour finish, but in a pleasant European way. Rather interesting for a light macrobrew.

There was this lemon involved. It was cool. I guess the waitress decided to use it to distinguish my beer from another beer. Word.

WDTB? French people. Ok, ok, who drinks this beer in America? People who think they like European beers. We will classify them as "Aspiring Eurotrash", as Chris put it.

WSDTB? People who think things are better if they pay more for them. You could drink this beer forever, but why would you want to?

Rating: 6.2/10

PBR (Pabst Blue Ribbon)

WDTB? Hipsters in the NW. People who think they are hipsters. People with no money. Old drunks at 2 in the afternoon.

Why should you drink this beer? You have no money. There is a salubrious hipster nearby that you wish to impress.

Who Shouldn't drink this beer? Anyone who didn't automatically know that PBR was a type of beer.

Chris: "This is the Tom Jones of beers; people thought it was washed up, but now it is hip again."

Ok, I hadn't actually had the beer when I wrote all that. Here comes my PBR now. It tastes like beer. Thin beer.

We officially declare this beer the beer of universal friendship. A beer that can unite pretentious hipsters and mulleted hicks, at least until they get drunk and punchy over a chick.

This beer is very good for drinking huge quantities of. Never drink it from a can unless you have recently participated in an activity that makes you very, very thirsty, like ultimate frisbee, or oral sex.

Rating: 5/10

Starobrno Lager

6/9/04, drinking Starbrno Lager in a bottle. It is brewed in Brno, Czech republic. As a rule, Czech beers are very, very good. It's like the Pacific Northwest of Europe (yeah, yeah, with hundreds of years of brewing history, shut up). Anyhow, it is golden in hue, and very tasty, without the flavors becoming muddy or running together. It has the barest hint of the sweetness of a Darjeeling tea, especially in the nose. Rather crisp, but not overly so. Overall a pleasant beer, light enough for continued drinking, but with enough complexity and character to keep it interesting. A good lager, and affordably priced.

I bought this at Trader Joe's. They do a good job finding beers, keeping them inexpensive, and mixing them up often. The variety is not wide, but does change.

How long will this beer remain inexpensive, though? The Czech Republic just joined the EU. Hence they are in the process of switching to the Euro. Now I'm no economist, (although I can read graphs, which is pretty much all that macroeconomics requires, as near as I can tell) but I am a Beerconomist, and I have to imagine that if a country switches from a currency that is cheap compared to the dollar to a currency that is strong against the dollar the price of the beer will rise. Kenji the Beerconomist says "Buy now!"

WDTB? Czechs. People who fondly remember Prague (me). People who shop at Trader Joe's.

WSDTB? Budget shoppers. Europeans (trade barriers should fall, and prices should remain cheap, or even drop for Europeans, simple Beerconomics.) Those who are barbecuing but have a racist dislike of Corona.

Rating: 7.1/10

Dos Equis Amber

6/10/04 at the bar 820, already had a pisco sour, and this is the only beer on tap. I inhaled the Pisco Sour, even though it wasn't as good as the ones in La Paz (not by a long shot, even with pisco instead of singani). So I figure I shouldn't waste the opportunity, and order a Dos Equis Amber. It is fairly light for an amber, and not very sweet. The mouth feel is toward the back of the palette. The beer has citrus notes, which are very subtle, and are most apparent in the nose. The start is bright and crisp, which is a little strange for an amber. Overall this is not the best beer, instead it is average at best. It has a tang reminiscent of many macrobrews, a rather unpleasant association. The body is pretty thin, especially for an amber.

WDTB? People in Mexican restaurants. People who wish they were in Mexican restaurants. Hispanophiles (you know the type. The people, usually women, who really get into Hispanic culture, they speak Spanish, they are constantly flitting of south of the border, they almost exclusively date Latinos)

WSDTB? People who want to hook up with Hispanophiles.

Rating: 6.1/10

Bridgeport Black Strap Stout

6/8/04, reviewing the Bridgeport Stout in a bottle. It has a slightly sweet start that fades quickly to a kind of dusty/musty middle, but not in an unpleasant way. It has a good mouth feel, and is well balanced. It is not very sweet or smokey, and is fairly light for a stout.

WDTB? Portlanders.

WSDTB? People who like stouts, but don't like to be overpowered by them. This is a little more porter like to my mind. Still good, but not a lot of ooomph.

Rating: 7.1/10

Younger's Special Bitter

First beer of the night at the Rouge Brew Pub in Portland, a good place to be. Unfortunately I'm a little stuffed up, which negatively affects my ability to taste beer. So the first beer of the night is the Younger's Special Bitter. Appartently this is named after the owner of the Horse Brass Brew Pub, an extremely influetial brew pub in the early microbrew stages of Portland. Unfortunately I was not old enough to drink at the time, and didn't even live in the state, but it might be important to some of you. The YSB, as it is known, is technicaly an English Special Bitter (ESB). Like all Rouge beers, this is a good beer. It is smooth, floral, with a slight hop finish that fades quickly. It has a mildly sweet start with a slight carbonation bite, with a mild to thin body. The finish is rather flat. It is, however, well balanced, and a good example of an ESB. So I kind of wonder if they keep this on tap at Horse Brass. Perhaps some day I will find out.

WDTB? I really don't know. People who like good beer. Bill Younger.

WSDTB? People who like ESBs. People who like Bill Younger.

Rating: 8.2/10

American Amber

Ok, second beer of the night at Rouge, American Amber on tap. I don't really like ambers much, too sweet, not a lot else going on. Oh sure, I prefer them to your basic fizzy yellow beer, but they aren't usually my first choice. However Rouge had a little sign up mentioning how it won a very prestigious award. I cannot remember which award, just that it was big. And important. And rouge is modest enough not to mention it on their website. (They do win many many awards, so it would be tricky to keep track of.) Anyhow, I thought I'd give it a go.

This is a really really good Amber. It deserved any awards it won. It is sweet, and like all great rogues, it toes the line sweet/too sweet. Which is to say the beer is sweet but not cloyingly sweet. It has a very pleasant mouthfeel, a mild finish, and a very good balance. There is a floral nose, with a quickly diminishing hop finish. By far the best amber I've ever had.

A percentage of sales go to the Oregon Coast Aquarium.

WDTB? Beer drinkers.

WSDTB? Ambers are the new pop music of beer, so that is to say all beer drinkers should be drinking this.

Rating: 9.2/10

Shakespeare Stout

Third beer of the night, I've been waiting to review this one since the beginning of the site. And oh, happy day, the Shakespeare is on Nitro.

Here it comes. Ohhhhh, god, beergasmic bliss. Milk smooth, with a beautiful, round body. The finish is silky smooth. There is a hint of bitterness, but only enough to remind you that it is a stout. This beer perfectly travels the razor edge between dark and too dark. This is the best stout brewed in America. At least Michael Jackson says so. No! Not that Michael Jackson! This Michael Jackson!

WDTB? CBCs (Crazy Beer Connoisseurs) This is an incredible beer. Anyone who knows anything about beer knows that.

WSDTB? Everyone. It is really that good. It simply outclasses most every other stout on the market. Go get some now.

Rating: 9.7/10

Crazy Ludwig's Alt

I drank this beer on 6/3/04 at the Lucky Lab Brew Pub. It was cask conditioned. It was amber in color, nice and hoppy, with a clean crisp finish that was slightly bitter. I guessed one of the main hops was Chinook. I was right. Although it looked like an amber it wasn't sweet like one. There wasn't much of a start, but it quickly built to a mellow mouthfeel. On subsequent tastes the finish proved slightly cloying, which detracted from my enjoyment somewhat. However an easy solution presented itself: Drink constantly! ("I can't stop drinking this beer! I just can't")

I emailed Lucky Lab, and they responded promptly, with this to say about the beer:

Here are the stats on the Alt for ya!
A smooth blend of 5 malts: 2-Row Pale, 15 L, Munich 100, 70L Crystal, and 135L Crystal and a pinch of chocolate
It has 55 IBUS:
Chinook, Centennial and Cascades
Its Dry hopped with Centennial and Cascades
Original Gravity 13.5 BALLING
Finishing Gravity 2.5 BALLING
It is 6.4% Alcohol by VOlume.

Thanks!
Lucky Labrador Brew Pub
915 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
Portland, OR 97214
503-236-3555
www.Luckylab.com
hops@Luckylab.com

Who Drinks This Beer? (WTDB?) People who compulsively purchase cask conditioned beer (me.) People with dogs.

Who Should Drink This Beer? (WSDTB?) Everyone, when the weather is hot. Nothing is nicer when it is hot than a mellow cask contitioned beer. (Not too fizzy = easier to drink fast = quickly refreshing)

Rating: 7.4/10

Making the Review Work for You

Everyone has different taste in beer. Thus the least important part of the review is the rating at the end. The rating is designed to give the reader a quick benchmark of the quality of the beer, and then to allow them to judge the rest for themselves, based on the description given. So any individual reader might agree with everything I have to say describing the beer, but differ dractically on how much they enjoy the beer. The ratings are on a 10 point scale.

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